Conversation Is Just The Brain's File System

Having just read Mitch Joel’s post, The End of Conversation in Social Media, I’ve been inspired to put into words something that’s been bouncing around in my skull for a while now. There are reasons conversation breaks down in the mass-media world of the internet, but I’ll have to explain a bit for you to understand. It’s a little geeky, but my brain runs on GeekOS so you’ll have to translate using whatever software your brain uses.

Ideas Are Just Files

Conversation as defined by the Oxford American Dictionary:

conversation |ˌkänvərˈsā sh ən|
noun
the informal exchange of ideas by spoken words

So conversation is the exchange of data from one brain to the next, like computers transferring files. It’s basic communication, right? Why do we as a human society have so much trouble with this? I’ve read studies that cite “Lack of communication” as the number one reason for divorce. Why is such a fundamental low-level task like exchanging data so complex and difficult for many to grasp?

Try thinking like a computer for a moment. The entire purpose of this blog post is to transfer a file, Conversation.idea from my brain into yours.

I’m typing on a Mac. With only 10% of the market share or less, chances are good you’re not reading this on a Mac. Not only are our brains two different machines, we’re very likely running on completely different software. Instead of three main options- Mac, Windows, Linux -every human being is running a unique version of an infinite number of operating systems. Philosophers would call this a “worldview” but philosophers don’t make the kind of money programmers do, so we’re sticking with my analogy.

Conversation is a Floppy Disk

So how would you transfer a file from one computer to another? With a disk? SMB of AFP over Ethernet? What medium would you use? If you’re going to exchange ideas with someone in any sustained conversation, you’ll need to choose the best method for sending those files back and forth.

Mitch, in his post, talks about the breakdown of conversation in social media. If my keychain flash drive can hold 16GB of files, Twitter is the world’s 1.4MB Floppy Disk (anyone remember those?). Obviously, the capacity of the medium we choose will dictate the detail and scope of our conversation. Lower capacity isn’t good or bad, it just changes the kind of conversation we can have.

Ever talk to someone you really, truly connect with? Had one of those awake-til-4am talks about religion, sex, Twilight, etc.? Consider yourselves connected directly with no disk involved- ethernet, wifi, etc. Not all conversations get that involved, just as not all files are big enough to require a hard line connection. If all you need to discuss can fit on a floppy, why bother digging out the ethernet cables?

Language is a File System

So you’ve got your file on a drive, ready to exchange with someone. What file system are you using? Apple’s HFS+ or Microsoft’s NTFS? You can’t just stick a Mac disk into a Windows machine and expect it to work. If you don’t speak a person’s language, you’re not going to converse. Be it French, Martian, or New Yorker, you’d better be able to articulate that idea in a way their brain is wired to receive.

Of course, modern operating systems can work with multiple file systems. My Mac has been multi-lingual for years now, modern iterations of Windows have begun catching up. The disks can only be formatted one way, but the computers are as versatile as a foreign diplomat.

Human file systems go beyond basic languages, though. English to English doesn’t always make for easy communication- what about local idioms? Sarcasm? Obscure references? If both ends of the transfer don’t use the same file system, the data- the idea -will be corrupted in the process. Ever give someone a compliment that grossly offended them?

Operating Systems are the New Paradigm

The last and most daunting hurdle to a successful idea transfer is the recipient’s operating system. The raw data can make it into a person’s brain, but what about comprehension? If I give you an HTML file on a thumb drive, what program will you use to open it? IE? Firefox? What about TextEdit or WordPad? You may hear every word I’m saying loud and clear, but your interpretation could completely distort my meaning.

Translation software exists for many file types. Our brains have the advantage of context and analogy. This entire post is made clearer to geeks by the file system analogy I’m using, but non-geeks would be even more confused. I’d need to find another analogy, another way to translate the idea, for a luddite.

Of course, some computers are also more powerful than others. Some machines are simply incapable of handling some files. Human brains are no exception.

Conversation Is Not Dead

If you’re still reading this, you’ve probably forgotten why I started in the first place. Mitch Joel. The End of Conversation. That little reminder could be called a checksum, but I think I’m wearing out the analogy at this point.

So conversation is merely the exchange of ideas. Not every file transfer is a two-way exchange, but we still need disks for backups, storage, etc. The New Media are a whole new protocol for exchanging ideas, but the same obstacles to real conversation exist here as they do in any marriage. If ideas are being sent out without expectation of a return, there will be no conversation. If there’s a break in the connection due to disinterest or aggression, there will be no conversation. Perhaps you’re expecting conversation on one port but all the talk is on another port; you’re sitting in silence, wondering why nobody’s listening when there’s a wealth of incoming data being ignored.

As with all tools, they are only as good as the operators using them. If you believe your end of the conversation is adequate, maybe your listeners aren’t. Maybe they’re running old 386′s with Windows 3. Or maybe they’re engaged, responding, and interested, but you’re not listening the right way. Whatever the breakdown, if you want conversation and you’re not getting it, there are countless points of failure in the transfer of ideas. Just keep troubleshooting until you’re successful.

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